Boogies Beer and Wine

Store

1636 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, Illinois, 60657-3018
United States

// CLOSED //

Monday - Thursday: 11am - 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 11am - 10pm
Sunday: 12pm - 6pm

Mail order: Y

Formerly Vrai Amour
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.15
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
4
pDev:
5.78%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.14/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
6/14: Boogie's Beer & Wine is their new name. Earlier this year, the shop moved from its Webster/Sheffield DePaul location to smaller, more modest digs on the outskirts of Roscoe Village and Lakeview. A couple blocks from Northdown. There's not much to clue you in from the outside except for a custom circular mix-a-six craft beer neon. It's cozy inside, with beer coolers to the right, bombers and six/four packs on an island front and center, and some unique glassware on another island in the back. Along the back wall is a small bar where they host weekly Friday tastings. The owners are friendly and will chat about all things beer when given the chance. There's still a MI beer focus, with a small smattering of imports and craft staples. The singles option is the real draw, with occasional rarities rotating in the selection. Nice selection of wines and local coffee too from Dark Matter, Intelligensia, and also Julius Meinl.

12/10: They now ship beer! If you're looking for Michigan craft beer, they have plenty of singles to mix & match. Bells glassware & hoodies. Sadly the selection here seems to be smaller, but there are still gems to be found (Expedition, TCOA, Founders Porter, etc.) Please check it out if you're in the area, and let them know you dig craft beer... They host beer tastings fairly often also. 100+ singles and counting! This is an essential neighborhood beer store, right down the street from Local Option. Support your local bottle shop!

9-20-2009:
Bells gear and glassware now available...focus on MI craft beer, no more meat & cheese selection now due to low turnover. Monthly beer tastings, friendly service.

12-03-2008:
This is a small wine shop that carries specialty beers, tucked into the neighborhood near DePaul next to a couple bars. They had a Bells poster in the window, and a signboard that mentioned micro beer, so I checked it out.

The beer selection is available as singles, and you can mix-a-six here, which is nice. There were two cooler doors in the back, with another empty cooler next to it. There were 10 varieties of Bells, which was the most from one brewery. There were about 4 Three Floyds, assorted singles from several MI brewers like Founders, New Holland, and Arcadia. The owners are from Michigan, and this shows in their beer selection. They rotate a selection of seasonals, and there were about 10 or so Christmas beers to choose from, including Alpha Klaus, GLBC Christmas Ale, Samichlaus, Delirium Noel, and others. Overall the selection was modest, but an interesting selection of US micro singles, and a handful of token Belgians and imports.

Service was really great, we talked beer for quite awhile, and they were very knowledgeable about the beer they carried. They mentioned some upcoming beer tastings, and a monthly beer school class held by their distributor. In addition, they had a shelf of unique glassware, even a couple branded boots at the register. There was an open cooler with gourmet meats (Usinger's from Milwaukee) and cheeses (Cypress Grove from CA) near the front. Worth a stop if you're in the area at Local Option or Bacino's.
Jun 21, 2014
Photo of mpwdoyle
Reviewed by mpwdoyle from Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
This place is right next door to Kelly's Pub, which just so happened to have some Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. I came for the pumpkin ale but was intrigued by the store window when I passed by. I went inside and was really impressed with this place. The owner noticed I was looking at beer and explained that I could make my own six-pack and laid out what beers he had in stock. The bottle list wasn't exceptional, but still very solid. Lots of Michigan beers (owner is from Kalamazoo) at reasonable prices. I saw some Southern Tier Pumking, Founders Breakfast Stout and other sought after beers.

All in all I think this a place everyone should seek out if they live on the north side of Chicago. I can definitely see this place having highly sought after beers lasting a little while longer than Binny's or other larger stores.

Oh, they have glassware and wine, which is a big plus. Go here!
Sep 09, 2011
Photo of botham
Reviewed by botham from New York

4/5  rDev -3.6%
Vrai Amour is a quaint little bottle shop in the heart of Lincoln Park, which is still pretty new, and it shows. The layout is pretty sparse, without much product with respect to the space.

Quality is good; no complaints here, with clean conditions and little to no dust on the stock (which is probably because they are still a new place).

Service is good, so long as they aren't too busy; when tastings are going on, it is a suprizingly laid back place to hang out for a bit.

Selection isn't anything special, but the stuff they do have is thoughtfully put together. This is another area that needs some time to develop, and judging from what is already there, this place may turn into a solid stop for beer.

Overall, this place needs some time to develop, and is worth a stop for those in the area.
Jun 26, 2010
Photo of Dave412
Reviewed by Dave412 from Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
I returned to Chicago last weekend to visit some old friends of mine, and I stopped by this place again to pick up some beer and see how it was doing. I went to college and lived in the city for four years. During the last year while I was there, this store opened up right next door to my apartment building. I had been drinking beer for several years and loved beer, but I had never really tried many micro brews or even knew just how many were out there. That was until Vrai Amour opened.

Back when the store just opened, I visited it for the first time. I walked in knowing almost nothing about beer. I was unfamiliar with all the beers they had, but the store owners were great and explained all the styles and brands. I mixed a couple of six packs and went back to my apartment to try them, and I was blown away. I never knew beer could taste like this. I was amazed.

I was glad to see that the store is still doing well when I visited last weekend. The guys there recognized me. They had expanded their selection some from the last time I was there. The store is not real big. In the front there are several wine choices from various countries. Plenty of glassware for sale. Beer coolers are in the back. I really like that you can create your own six pack. The two guys that run the store are always there and will go out of their way to answer any questions and talk all about beer. They make great recommendations and you can tell they really appreciate your business there. There are frequent free beer tastings. In the past, I've been to Great Lakes and Unibroue tastings there that were great. They don't have the largest selection in the world, but they do have a lot of great choices. All Bells, Great Lakes, Dogfish Head, Unibroue, and much more. If you are anywhere close to this area at all, it's a must visit.

The combination of this store opening next to my apartment and a wine tasting class I was taking at school at the time is the very reason I got into tasting and trying different beers. This store and the guys that work there are great, and I thank them for helping me get into this great hobby.
Jan 22, 2010
Boogies Beer and Wine in Chicago, IL
Place rating: 4.15 out of 5 with 4 ratings